The Wheel Deal: Bike Riding at Maine Camps!

Learning to ride a bike is a generations-old childhood tradition, symbolic of what growing up is about. Not only does learning to ride a bike represent the perseverance and practice it takes to master a new skill – and the value of brushing off skinned knees and trying again – it is also symbolic of the freedom and independence that comes along with growing up. However, as the years have passed this once-vital skill has slowly lost its luster among many children. After all, in today’s age kids don’t generally ride around their neighborhood to visit friends, and parents may not necessarily push their kids into bike riding if the kids are reluctant to learn.  And the sad reality is that many children are learning to ride bikes later than ever, if at all. Unless, of course, they attend a Maine Camp Experience (MCE) camp! MCE camps offer campers countless opportunities to ride their bikes – providing both excellent instruction and a superb environment for riding. From first-time bikers to experienced adventurers, MCE camps offer biking opportunities for all skill levels, and the right environment to make summer biking a success. Many MCE camps offer bike riding as a formal part of their program. At many camps, campers will be outfitted with helmets and bikes, and will spend activity periods navigating well-maintained camp trails. The beautiful terrain our MCE camps inhabit makes mountain biking a natural fit, and campers will learn to navigate the inclines and descents on their modern multi-speed bicycles. Of course, Maine and New England offer incredible biking opportunity beyond the confines of our camps’ grounds, and MCE campers get to take advantage of these opportunities with incredible out of camp trips. As an MCE camper, I recall very fondly taking a camp trip to Cape Cod, and having the opportunity to explore the islands on bike with other campers and counselors. Other MCE camps offer more rigorous mountain biking trips for skilled campers, giving them the opportunity to push themselves and experience what it’s like to triumph over Maine’s challenging terrain. At one MCE camp, there is an optional challenging multi-sport adventure trip during the second half of summer for the oldest campers, and mountain biking is a major part of this trip. In fact, at this MCE camp, biking is such a major part of the program that there is a bike shop on campus, and many campers bring and store their own bikes from home so they are able to ensure they have their own personalized equipment when it comes time to tackle Maine’s magnificent mountains. There’s nothing quite like learning to ride a bike – and in a world in which that skill is growing less and less prevalent among kids, there’s tremendous value of spending summers in Maine and feeling the thrill of riding a bike again. So this summer, pump up those tires and head up to Maine for a summer spent in the saddle – it’s time to get on your bike and ride! — Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools

You can share your own Maine camps memories & expressions of gratitude on our Memories of Camp section of our  website.

Looking for the perfect Maine camp for your child?  Try out our helpful tool where you can select a camp by choosing: type of camp (girls, boys or coed) and session length (1-8 weeks).  It helps to narrow down a few camps to a manageable list that includes rates.  Then you can research these camps in more depth.

Next, be sure to  to discuss these camps as well as for free, year-round advice and assistance on choosing a great Maine summer camp for your child.